Railway drop coupler and draft gear



1952 A. H. PAGENKEMPER ETAL 2,580,588

RAILWAY DROP COUPLER AND DRAFT GEAR Filed Oct. 14, 1948 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1H 9 law /4 INVENTORS: ARTHUR H. PAGENKEMPER BASIL S. CAIN ATTORNEY 1952A. H. PAGENKEMPER ETAL 88 RAILWAY DROP COUPLER AND DRAFT GEAR Filed061;. 14, 1948 2 SHEETS-SI-iEET 2 25 FIG. 5.

INVENTORS'.

ARTHUR H. PAGENKEMPER V6 BA$IL s. CAIN Patented Jan. 1

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE RAILWAY DROP COUPLER AND DRAFT GEAR YorkApplication October 14, 1948, Serial No. 54,526 9 Claims. (of. 213-)flffhe invention relates to railway vehicles and particularly to aretractible coupling device adapted for use on the forward end of a1000-.

motive.

In modern locomotives, it is desirable to use a draft gear to relievebuffing and pulling forces on the retractible coupler at the forward endof the locomotive yet make the frame forwardly of the leading truck asshort as possible so that the weight carried by the leading truck is notappreciably greater than the weight carried by the. trailing truck ofthe locomotive. In one type of locomotive, a draft gear and draft gearyokeare mounted on the locomotive frame and a counter-balancedvertically retractible coupler is pivoted at the forward end'of thedraft gear yoke. The counter-balance requires considerable space andnecessitates elongating the locomotive frame forwardly of theleadingtruck.

In another arrangement, as shown in Patent No. 2,329,285, issuedSeptember 14, I 1913, to William J. Metzger, the coupler, the draftgear, the draft gear yoke and the draft gear followers are mounted in amember which swings in a vertical plane relative to the frame on spacedpins, undersingle shearing forces, supported by the locomotive frame.With this arrangement, bufling and pulling forces are transmitted fromthe coupler through the draft gear yoke, the draft gear, the draft gearfollowers, the swinging member-and pivot pins to the locomotive frame.

Although the pins may withstand the pulling v the draft gear yoke,draftgear and draft gear follower directly to the frame in anarrangement of the kind generally described last above and withoutsubjectin the member pivot to the buffing forces.

Another object is to pivot the member betweenspaced frame portions on asingle pin which extendsfrom one frame portion to the other so that thepin is subjected to double shearirig forces instead of to singleshearing forces as in the earlier arrangement. The pin extends throughan elongated aperture in the draftgear yoke so as not in interfere withlongitudinal movement of the draft gear yoke when the coupler issubjected to draft and pulling .forces.

Other objects will be apparent to those skilled V in the art from thefollowing description and accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is ahorizontal section taken approximately on the line I-I of Figure 2 andshows the forward end of a railway locomotive provided with a couplingstructure constructed accordin to the invention;

Figures 2 and 3 are longitudinal vertical sections taken approximatelyon the lines 2-2 and 3-3, respectively, of Figure 1.

Figures 4, 5, and 6 are transverse vertical sections taken approximatelyon the lines 44, 5-5, and 6-43, respectively, of Figure 1.

Coupling structure constructed according to the invention is shown inthe drawings as embodied in the forward end of a diesel electriclocomotive. Framing I has spaced portions 2 connected at their forwardends by a transverse tie element 2a. Portions 2 extend forwardly ofleading truck 3 which includes a wheel and axle assembly 4. The forwardend of framing I mounts a pilot 5 having a coupler recess 6. A member 1is positioned between frame portions 2 forwardly of leading truck 3 andswings on a horizontal pin 8 extending from one frame portion to theother.

Coupling structure is mounted on member "I and includes draft gearfollowers 9, a draft gear spring I0, a draft gear yoke II and a couplerI2 swingable about a vertical pin I3 on the draft gear yoke. Draft gearyoke II is slotted transversely at Ila; to receive pin 8 to provide forlengthwise movement of the draft gear yoke in transmitting buffing andpulling forces from the coupler to the draft gear.

The couplin structure swings with member 1' between non-functioninposition (shown in dotdash lines in Figure 2), inwhich the coupler isreceived within the pilot, and functioning position (shown in solidlines in Figure 2), in which the coupler extends forwardly of the pilot.When the coupling structure is in functioning position, the draft gearfollower 9 at the rear end of member I opposes a pair of blocks I4riveted to atransverse vertical web M'a on fra ming I to form draft gearstops so that bufling forces are transmitted directly from the draftgearfollower to the framing and without subjecting pin 8 to such forces.Opposing faces of draft gear rear follower 9 andiblocks I4 are curvedsubstantially in a radius about the axis of pin 8 to facilitate movementof member 1 between functioning and non-functioning positions (seeFigure 3). Web [4a is apertured at l4b to receive draft gear yoke I Iwhen buffing forces move the yoke and coupler rearwardly on member 1 Thecenter of gravity of member I and the associated coupling structurepreferably is rearwardly of pin 8 so that the member and couplingstructure tend to swing to functioning position. A crank and reelassembly 15 is rotatable on brackets I6 rigid with frame I. A cable I!is secured at one end to the crank and reel assembly and passes over apulley l8 rotatable on pilot 5. The other end of cable I! is secured toan upstanding lug IS on member l. Member 7 may be moved tonon-functioning position by rotating crank and reel assembly 15 in adirection to wind the cable thereon and the member swings by gravity tofunctioning position when the crank and reel assembly is rotated in theopposite direction to unwind the cable.

A locking pin extends through openings 2| in each frame portion and intoan aperture 22 in member 1 and holds member 1 in functioning position. Alocking pin 23 extends through an opening 24 in a lug 25 on each frameportion 2 and into aperture 22 and holds member I in nonfunctioningposition. A wear plate 26 is mounted on each frame portion 2 and seatsthe rear end of member I when the member is in functioning position. Theheight of wear plate 26 may be adjusted so that pin 20 holds member 1securely against the wear plate when the member is in functioningposition.

The coupling structure described above requires only a relatively shortspace on the frame so that the frame forwardly of the leading truck maybe relatively short and so that the weight carried by the leading truckis not appreciably greater than the weight carried by the trailing truckof the locomotive. Also the coupling structure transmits bufiing forcesfrom the coupler to the draft gear yoke, draft gear, and draft gearfollower directly to the frame without subjecting pin 8 to the buffingforces. The pin is subjected to double shearing forces so that the pinreadily withstands pulling forces which are transmitted from the couplerto the draft gear yoke, draft gear, draft gear follower, member 1, pin 8and to the frame.

The details of construction may be varied substantially withoutdeparting from the spirit of the invention, and the exclusive use ofthose modifications coming Within the scope of the claims iscontemplated.

What is claimed is:

1. In a railway vehicle front end structure including a frame providedwith a draft gear stop, a member swingable on said frame about ahorizontal pivot, coupling structure supported by said member andincluding a draft gear, a draft gear follower, a draft gear yoke movablelongitudinally of the member, and a coupler, said coupling structurebeing movable, with the swinging of said member, between functioning andnon-functioning positions, and said draft gear follower, when infunctioning position, opposing said stop to transmit bufling forces fromthe coupler to the frame without subjecting the pivot to said forces.

2. Front end structure as described in claim 1 including lockingelements spaced from the member pivot to hold the member in functioningand in non-functioning positions.

3. Front end structure as described in claim .4. 1 including mechanismfor swinging the member and coupling structure between functioning andnon-functioning positions.

4. Front end structure as described ini claim l in which the center ofgravity of the member and associated coupling structure is rearwardly ofthe member pivot and the member tends to swing to a functioningposition, the structure including a crank and reel assembly rotatable onthe frame, and a cable fastened to the member rearwardly of the memberpivot and to said assembly so that when said assembly is rotated in onedirection to wind the cable, the member swings to non-functioningposition, and when the assembly is rotated in the opposite direction tounwind the cable, the member swings by gravity to functioning position.

5. In a railway vehicle front end structure including a frame and pilotassembly including a draft gear stop, a member swingable on saidassembly about a horizontal pivot extending transversely of theassembly, coupling structure mounted on said member and including adraft gear, a draft gear yoke movable longitudinally of the member, adraft gear rear follower, and a coupler movable with said member betweennonfunctioning position, in which the coupler is received Within theassembly, and functioning position, in which the coupler extendsforwardly of the assembly and said draft gear follower opposes said stopso that buffing forces are transmitted from the coupler through thedraft gear yoke, draft gear and draft gear follower directly to theassembly and without subjecting the pivot to said forces.

6. In a railway vehicle coupling structure, a frame includingtransversely spaced forwardly extending portions, 3, member positionedbetween said portions, an elongated pin extending transversely of theframe from one portion to the other and mounting said member forvertical swinging movement relative to said frame, and couplingstructure including a coupler and a draft gear mounted on said memberand movable relative to the same and swingable with said member betweenfunctioning and non-functioning positions, said draft gear includingspring with followers and a yoke, there being stops on the frameengageable by the followers when said coupler and draft gear are infunctioning position.

'7. In a railway vehicle front end structure including frame, a memberswingable on said frame about a horizontal pivot, coupling structuresupported by said member and including a draft gear, a draft gearfollower, a draft gear yoke and a coupler, and coupling structure beingmovable relative to said member and movable with said member about saidpivot between functioning and non-functioning positions, an element onsaid frame opposing said draft gear follower when in functioningposition, there being opposing faces on said follower and said elementcurved substantially in a radius about the member pivot axis tofacilitate movement of said member between said positions.

8. Front end structure as described in claim 7 in which the draft gearprojects rearwardly of the swingable member and the follower projectslaterally of the yoke and the yoke extends rearwardly beyond thefollower and the frame is recessed adjacent the follower opposingelement to accommodate the yoke extension when the yoke, draft gear andcoupler are in functioning position and as the yoke swings about thepivot to non-functioning position.

9. In a railway vehicle front end structure including a frame providedwith a draft gear stop, a member swingable on said frame about ahorizontal pivot, coupling structure supported by said member andincluding a, draft gear, a draft gear follower, a draft gear yoke and acoupler, said coupling structure being movable relative to said memberand movable with said member between functioning and non-functioningpositions, said draft gear follower, when in functioning position,opposing said stop and transmitting buffing forces from the coupler tothe frame through said stop without subjecting the pivot to said forces.a crank and reel assembly rotatable on the frame, and a cable fastenedto the member spaced from the member pivot and to said assembly so thatwhen said assembly is rotated in one direction, the member swings tonon-functioning position,

and when said assembly is rotated in the opposite direction, the memberswings to functioning position.

ARTHUR H. PAGENKEMPER. BASIL S. CAIN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 491,719 Prendergast Feb. 14, 1893522,299 Leeds July 3, 1894 743,864 Halesworth Nov. 10, 1903 2,200,219Reid May 7, 1940 2,329,285 Metzger Sept. 14, 1943

